Part 4 of 4

Enterprise content management (ECM) software helps companies capture, organize, manage, preserve, and control unstructured information. In this four-part series, we chronicled types of ECM, benefits, considerations, and successes. Here, several leading vendors detail the ECM solutions provide.

Clearview ECM 5.1, released in April 2009, is a comprehensive solution that includes document imaging, document management, email management, Web content management, business process management (BPM), and reports management modules. Clearview ECM is available in three editions—Business, Professional, and Ultimate—to fit the unique needs of customers. Clearview’s IRISS Desktop Gadget is a mini-application that allows information workers to search for important SharePoint content through drag-and-drop technology. "Clearview is very scalable and offers a wide range of solutions that improve business processes. In general, most organizations seek a return on investment (ROI) within 12 to 18 months; Clearview can do that for them," says Steve Leichtman, senior VP, Clearview Software.

The EMC Documentum ECM Suite 6.5 is a family of products designed to improve business productivity and agility by providing better access to information and creating a foundation for sharing, securing, and reusing content. Documentum ECM applications span collaboration as well as transactional content, Web content, rich media, knowledge, records, and retention management. EMC Documentum can be deployed to meet the needs of a single department or a multinational corporation. EMC Documentum eRoom, the company’s Web-based collaborative workspace, is available via software as a service (SaaS).

Fabasoft offers its Folio product for ECM. The multilingual user-interface is based on Web 2.0 technologies to provide greater user comfort in the Web browser. Documents are displayed in sortable and groupable lists and can be browsed using full-screen thumbnails. The single-instance content store concept of Fabasoft Folio ensures content is saved only once physically in cases where more than one copy of the same content exists. If one email is sent as a copy to 20 users, For example, only one email is effectively stored—saving considerable storage costs. Fabasoft Folio supports the digitalization of business processes within the framework of BPM with a high-performance workflow that enables the modeling and realization of ad-hoc processes and structured business processes. Fabasoft also offers its Mindbreeze Enterprise Search product for company-wide heterogeneous document stores and data sources.

Hyland Software develops OnBase, a suite of ECM software applications, which address specific verticals such as healthcare, higher education, financial services, government, manufacturing, and insurance. OnBase is offered both as an on-premise solution and as SaaS—OnBase OnLine (OBOL). OnBase customers have the option to switch from an on-premise to a SaaS solution and vice versa, as priorities change. The on-premise OnBase is maintained in the business’ own IT infrastructure. OBOL hosts a business’ data at a secure data center where it is managed. A.J. Hyland, president/CEO, Hyland Software, says that OnBase customer results are pretty common, with a year or less to get a full ROI.

Jack Henry sells its Synergy product in three brands—a banking financial brand, a credit union financial brand, and a generic brand. Jack Henry’s Synergy ECM is available in both on-site deployment and in SaaS—Synergy Express. The company also offers customization through professional services with Synergy. "In the banking and credit union brands, integration into our other products is a key. Plus these institutions look to drive ROI by moving to ECM. They use our product to push out capture to the branch, automate their workflow, and provide enterprise search within the organizations," says Stacey Zengel, GM, Imaging Solutions, Jack Henry.

Metavante’s VisionContent suite of solutions enables companies to capture, store, and distribute documents and images. "VisionContent enables companies to accelerate ‘green’ initiatives and improve productivity by automating document-centric business processes. With customizable tools that combine document imaging, advanced capture, and browser technology, companies can more efficiently manage data, documents, and reports for internal employees and their customers," notes Paul Danola, president, Metavante Image Solutions.

Open source products are available from companies such as Nuxeo, a frim that provides its solution as a free download. Products are available under free, open-source LGPL license. Users can build and run a range of ECM applications. Nuxeo customers benefit by purchasing Nuxeo Connect service plans in three different tiers, which have varying levels of support response time and services, and start at $25,000.

Open Text’s flagship solution, Open Text ECM is an on-premises suite installation, licensed per seat, with 46,000 customers and 50 million deployed seats. "We make it easier for an individual to find, reuse, and use the latest version of content. We empower the users—whether it’s the individual user or a team of users," says Lubor Ptacek, VP, product marketing, Open Text Corporation.

Optical Image Technology’s DocFinity is an integrated, Web-based suite of ECM software that manages information throughout a document’s lifecycle, and includes products to capture, index, archive, retrieve, and manage information. "Since the entire DocFinity product line is underwritten in extensive Web services that we publish to our clients, we provide a robust out-of-the-box solution that lets them integrate our product deeply into an environment, naturally. This practically eliminates the need for custom programming," says Jim Thumma, VP, sales and marketing, Optical Image Technology, Inc.

Refresh Software Inc. provides its SR2 content management system as a licensed software package that enables non-technical people to manage content for Web sites and other browser accessible applications. SR2 is a component content management system, meaning that each individual content component can be effectively and efficiently managed—not just Web pages. The solution does not require it be used as a content creation tool and it doesn’t embed it into a presentation layer. SR2 is highly scalable and portable. It is developed in Java and runs on virtually any operating system and hardware platform.

SpringCM offers content management and workflow solutions in a Web-based, SaaS environment. The solution has a five-user minimum, and starts at $50 per month/per user. Advanced workflow options are available for an additional charge. SpringCM recently released the first connectivity solution between its SaaS ECM platform and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. The SpringCM Cloud Connector for SharePoint enables integration between the portal and collaborative capabilities of SharePoint and the ECM capabilities of SpringCM. "Cost structure is favorable as SaaS," says Chris Ryan, VP of marketing, SpringCM. "SpringCM put out a number of core CM services, or technologies, and pre-integrated everything instead of being a single point solution. This is a big point of differentiation. The idea was to give people the functionality you get from the big on-premises players, but all pre-integrated an delivered as a SaaS," states Ryan.

WAVE helps businesses create and improve processes to pursue new opportunities through specialization in workflow atomization, systems integration, and deployment analysis. To facilitate consulting endeavors, WAVE also develops software solutions such as its B.media ECM application. A cornerstone for marketing initiatives, B.media connects product and creative teams to publish content effectively across multiple channels, including Web, print, and email.

Xerox DocuShare 6.5 is a CM platform that stores more than 50 million documents, perform search queries within seconds, and supports intake of up to one million imaged documents per day. DocuShare CPX is ideal for large enterprises and public sector organizations, and starts at $18,000 for 50 seats. Xerox DocuShare Virtual Filing System is a hardware and service combination for companies that need more assistance imaging documents. DocuShare Virtual Filing System includes an assessment by Xerox consultants of archived documents and taxonomy, scanning technology, imaging and DocuShare 6.5 software, set up, and user training. Cost for the DocuShare Virtual Filing System is between $50,000 and $60,000.

ECM Success
ECM solutions vary greatly in price and functionality, and one solution does not fit all organizations. Careful consideration must be made to find the right fit, but the rewards are great. "ECM systems continue to evolve and help organizations reduce costs and improve efficiency and quality of service," says Metavante’s Danola. "ECM improved corporate accountability, risk reduction, and regulatory compliance through content control and process visibility."

"Competitive advantages are hard to come by today, so any edge a business can gain by operating better and faster is a win," adds Hyland.